One thing that we messy writers need to learn is this – failure is not fatal.
The key thing, as a writer, is to tell interesting stories. It does not matter if you write a story and most people don’t like it or everyone hates it. If someone loves it, then it is a winner. If your story touches one person, then you did something right. Maybe your next story will have wider appeal.
Even if no one likes your story and not a single person understands the theme you were trying to convey, that’s not fatal. What you learned this time is that what does not work. If you take that learning and apply it to your next story, it will be a better story.
Trying and failing will not kill you. Not trying and, therefore, never having a chance to fail, means you will never succeed. Not trying is fatal to your future as a writer.
It does not matter if you write a story and what you have written is an incoherent mess. You can improve a bad story but a blank page will always be empty.
If you write a story and every one you show it to tears it to shreds – that can feel pretty devastating. Harsh criticism is not fatal. It might feel like landing on Park Lane when someone put a hotel on it but you can play the game again tomorrow.
A story that looks like a failure shows you what people don’t like. You can either give up and never be a writer or you can learn from that and write another story. And another story after that one.
If you don’t give up, eventually you are going to figure out how to write a story everyone raves about. But you can never get there unless you risk sharing stories no one likes first.
Failure is not fatal. Give yourself permission to try and fail so that one day you can try and succeed.